Peer Review

Publication of articles in Journal of Community Engagement in Health  (JCEH) is dependent solely on scientific validity and coherence as judged by our editors and/or peer reviewers, who will also assess whether the writing is comprehensible and whether the work represents a useful contribution to the field. JCEH acknowledged the effort and suggestions made by its reviewers. 

Initial evaluation of manuscripts

The Editor will first evaluate all manuscripts submitted. Although rare, yet it is entirely feasible for an exceptional manuscript to be accepted at this stage. Those rejected at this stage are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, or are outside the aims and scope of the JCEH. Those that meet the minimum criteria are passed on to experts for review.

Type of peer review

Submitted manuscripts will generally be reviewed by two to three experts who will be asked to evaluate whether the manuscript is scientifically sound and coherent, whether it duplicates the already published works, and whether or not the manuscript is sufficiently clear for publication. The method is blind peer review.

Review reports

Reviewers are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:

  • Is original by stating the objectives and gap clearly
  • Is methodologically sound
  • Follows appropriate ethical guidelines
  • Has results/findings which are clearly presented and support the conclusions
  • Correctly references previous relevant work
  • Reviewers are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process.

Decision

Reviewers advise the editor, who is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the article. The Editors will reach a decision based on these reports and, where necessary, they will consult with members of the Editorial Board. Editor’s decision is final.

Becoming a Reviewer

If you are not currently a reviewer for JCEH but would like to be added to the list of reviewers, please contact us. The benefits of reviewing for JCEH include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in related research area at an early stage, and to be acknowledged in our list of reviewers. You may also be able to cite your work for JCEH as part of your professional development requirements. JCEH's reviewers are volunteers who contribute their expertise to the science, thus no financial payments are made.